


Ultra Despair Boys

by kuscospoison



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Another Episode, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Alternate Universe, Developing Relationship, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Drunk Komaru, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Suicidal Thoughts, Ishida is an alter, M/M, Taka survives the kg, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:21:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21644362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuscospoison/pseuds/kuscospoison
Summary: Kiyotaka and Toko manage to sneak onto the helicopter taking Hiro and Byakuya to Towa City, and everything ends up a mess. Luckily for Hiro, he managed to escape the burning apartment building with Taka, but now they have to figure out how to handle the situation.
Relationships: Fukawa Touko/Naegi Komaru, Hagakure Yasuhiro/Ishimaru Kiyotaka, past Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Oowada Mondo
Comments: 10
Kudos: 74





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> If I haven't properly represented DID, I am deeply sorry in advance. I tried to do some research and have big brain time with that but I'm no expert. Also Kyoko is kind of an asshole for a hot minute during a flashback so oof.

“This one’s Break.” 

“Yeah.” 

“And that’s Move.”

“Uh-huh.” 

“Hagakure, is this making sense?”

Hiro snorted. “Sure, just go over literally all of those wild-ass controls for this glorified megaphone again please.” It was such a weird and confusing weapon that had so many functions, Hiro couldn’t help but feel his head swim a little as Byakuya explained all of them as they rode on the helicopter to Towa City. 

Byakuya heaved an impatient and tired sigh, and would have explained all of the hacking gun’s controls had the helicopter not lurched and sent Hiro stumbling into one of the crates in the back of the helicopter. 

He was pretty sure the crate (which was rather large, enough to fit around two people inside if they really squished in there) was not supposed to yelp. 

Before he could contemplate the oddness of this, Togami growled and yanked open the top of the crate, revealing Toko and Kiyotaka hiding inside. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be back at the base! Research students aren’t authorized for this sort of mission!” Hiro really wouldn’t have cared if there were stowaways for this mission, but since one of the stowaways was Taka it was a different story. He had been looking out for the former ultimate moral compass since the killing game, and didn’t feel like screwing that up. He couldn’t explain why he felt he needed to, it wasn't like Taka had anything to give in return. No, Hiro had felt the desire to protect the hall monitor because he had related to the guy more than he liked to admit. He knew what it was like to have no friends, to be bullied. He had had all of that for different reasons, of course, but he still understood the other man nonetheless and wanted to keep him alive.

Taka unfolded himself from the crate, wincing as he managed to shakily step out, careful not to damage Mondo's jacket that he had taken to permanently wearing after the killing game. “How are we supposed to become full-fledged members if you never let us do anything?” He scowled at Byakuya. “I have no intention of letting Hiro walk into a trap. I won’t be responsible for another friend’s death.” 

Hiro couldn’t help but feel his heart squeeze at his words. The fact that Taka considered him a friend and broke the rules to protect him...it was really sweet. Even if the guy had some boundaries issues and had the social intelligence of a piece of bread, his loyalty and companionship since the killing game wasn’t unwelcome. If anything, it was a pleasant surprise. “Ishimarucchi, this is a dangerous mission, y’know? And you know you don’t have full control over...him.” Even for someone as relaxed and laid-back as Hiro was, Kiyondo had a tendency to be...too much. His lack of impulse control and common sense not only made him the opposite of Taka, it also made him a handful. Even if Kiyondo was the more stable alternate personality (as opposed to Genocide Jack), he doubted the alter would be any help in this. 

Taka’s face wrinkled and he would have retorted had Toko not spoken up. “That’s exactly why we needed to do this! I couldn’t let Master walk into a trap!” She growled. "Ishimaru and I have been practicing controlling...those alters with the stun guns you gave us! We can handle this, please let me protect you!"

“It’s not a trap, and seeing you here makes me want to vomit. If anything you’re making everything worse. And you’re both liabilities if you cannot control yourselves.” Byakuya glared at Toko coldly. 

Taka pushed at Byakuya’s shoulder and growled. “We’re not children, and I have much more control over Kiyondo than you seem to think…” He seemed to want to continue, but another helicopter lurch happened and this time it was Taka who went stumbling. He fell backward and his head hit the back wall of the copter with a harsh thunk. 

Aw, no. 

Byakuya watched Taka shift into Kiyondo with absolutely no surprise. “I rest my case.”

“Rest your what now?” Kiyondo stood up and looked around. “So the little bitch actually decided to break the rules for once, eh? Sweet!” He grinned and reached into the crate. “And he brought the good pickaxe! Awesome!” He cackled and let the pickaxe rest over his shoulder. Hiro couldn't help but note, from the symbol on the handle, that it was the Crazy Diamonds pickaxe that they had found in the garden shed at Hope's Peak.

Toko winced and growled. “You’re only proving Master’s point. And as much as I want to take his side in this…”

Kiyondo waved his hand dismissively in Toko’s direction. “Yeah, yeah, shut yer trap. I’m totally gonna be chill for this, plus I can help way better than that little bitch. Taka might know some fighting styles, but I'm the one that's willing to kick ass with 'em! Plus I'm pretty handy with my bitchin' pickaxe. C’mon, we’re already here rich bitch! Utilize your resources or whatever!” He looked at Hiro. “C’mon, I can tag along with you! It’ll be fun!”

Hiro eloquently made an uneasy sound in the back of his throat, and he couldn’t help but feel a little guilty when he saw Kiyondo’s face fall in disappointment. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Kiyondo, he just...was a lot to handle. And he was a lot flirtier than Taka, which was...awkward, especially considering that both of them seemed to be still working on their grief over Mondo. And Hiro didn’t blame them, from what they had both told him (sometimes multiple times since their memories weren’t shared) the relationship had taken a more romantic turn just before the bosozoku’s death. Nonetheless, having all of those reminders of the bosozoku made Hiro feel intimidated. Both alters put the man on a pedestal, and Hiro (who already felt like he fell short when it came to most things) feared he would never measure up.

Kiyondo was especially upset over all of it, since as an alter that before the killing game had only come out as a way for Taka to cope with death and loneliness, he had never gotten to know Mondo the way Taka had. But he was still stuck with the shared feelings. Finding out that Kiyondo was an identity all of his own had certainly been a surprise, especially since Taka managed to do a good job of hiding that he happened to have an identity disorder (even if the alter rarely came out, but then again after the killing game Kiyondo seemed to be a lot more present). 

“There’s not much we can do about it now, we’re almost landing.” Byakuya said with a dejected sigh. 

Kiyondo pumped his fist in excitement. “Yess! Get to fuck shit up!” 

Toko gave a small groan. “Maybe it was a bad idea to let you in on my plan…”

“No way, this is gonna be awesome!” 

The writer glared at him. “You’re borderline morbid enthusiasm really makes you intolerable to be around, y’know that? You’re almost as bad as Jack, I bet.”

Oof. That was a low blow, Hiro knew how much Kiyondo hated when people trash-talked either him or Genocide Jack. The two seemed to get along so well, it was a little scary. “Shut up! At least I don’t smell and complain all the time like you do! And Jack is fuckin’ great!” 

Byakuya held the bridge of his nose and heaved a long sigh. “For the love of god, will you two just shut up and cover me and Hiro?” 

"Wh--hang on a sec! I'm still not sure about the controls for this gun!" Hiro yelped, panicking a bit. 

The copter seemed to answer the question for him when it landed none too gently, forcing everyone to cling to something for balance. Toko obviously grabbed a disgusted Byakuya's arm while Kiyondo gripped Hiro's shoulder and smirked at him. "Don't worry about it, big guy. I can cover you no problem." He winked and Hiro couldn't help but blush. 

"Will you two either focus on the mission or get a room?" Byakuya glared at them. "I'm sick and tired of having to listen to your sexual tension all of the time, either figure out what you want and do it or just avoid each other entirely." Byakuya opened the copter door after managing to push off a resistant Toko. Well, someone was a little grouchy today...

Toko held the stun gun to her head, ready. "Don't worry master, I'll protect you!" She smiled. It was cringey how all of her logic and normal personality seemed to disappear around that guy. 

"Shut up and cover the roof, there are probably guards all over this building. Hiro and Kiyondo can take the one elevator and work from the bottom up while I go with backup from the top down. Any questions?" Hiro raised his hand and Byakuya shot him a glare. "Any not stupid questions?" 

Kiyondo swung his pickaxe threateningly in Byakuya's direction. "Fuck off rich boy, if you won't help Hiro then I'll protect him and do your fuckin' job for you!" He sneered. "Maybe after this you'll finally get the balls to gimme a real suit. I'm sick and tired of wearin' these rags!" 

Byakuya only responded with an annoyed sound and opened the door to leave the roof, leaving his backup to follow him. Toko sighed dejectedly and watched him go. "I have a really bad feeling about all of this." She groaned and put the taser back up to her head. "Wish me luck." 

Hiro winced as he saw her become the famed former serial killer. "You don't happen to know how this hacking gun thingie works do you?" 

"The what?" Jack grinned at him. "Looks like a weird megaphone thing to me, sorry hobo Joe, no dice!" She giggled. "I much prefer to work with my precious scissors!" She looked over at Kiyondo. "Hey, long time no see albino boy!" 

Kiyondo grinned. "Ready to go fuckin' wild? Brought my special pickaxe 'n everything!" 

Jack giggled. "Oh boy, both of us let out at once? Sounds like a real party!" 

"Hell yeah!" Kiyondo's grin quirked fiercely and Hiro couldn't help but feel a little afraid. 

"Uhh, you guys, we should get moving. Seeya later, um, Genocide Jack, good luck or whatever." Hiro smiled nervously at them.

"You too hobo Joe! Kiyondo, sweetie, have fun and don't forget to use protection!" She cackled and grabbed a few pairs of scissors from her holster on her thigh. 

Hiro tugged at his goatee nervously. "Why does she always call me that, it's not like I can control my hair looking like this, y'know?" He didn’t even bother to address the sexual comment she had made, since she naturally made so many that it was easy to ignore them at this point.

Kiyondo smiled at him, a weird moment of calm in his features. "I like your hair. I think she just took to callin' you that after you told us you were literally fuckin' homeless for a while. C'mon, let's grab the elevator rich bitch isn't using and head downstairs, kay?" 

Liked his hair? What the hell did that even mean? Whatever, they had work to do. Hiro could only dismiss his questions about everything (including this fucking puzzle of a gun) and head to the elevator. 

Hiro really wished he had better reviewed the hacking gun directions. Like, he was majorly regretting it now that there were Monokumas wandering the streets and they were running away from a burning building where they had no clue what happened to the others. 

At least he had Kiyondo to cover his ass. Since he was more stable than Genocide Jack he usually was given a longer leash, so it was somewhat safe to let him have more time out. "Where do we go, man? This is...this is nuts! We need to figure out where the others are!" 

Kiyondo shook his head and pulled him to a newly abandoned building a few blocks away from the apartment building they had barely escaped from. "Let's just focus on what's important right now. You got cut up by a Monokuma back there, right?" Kiyondo reached into one of the deep-ass pockets on Mondo's jacket to produce a small first-aid kit. 

Hiro looked down at his arm, which was in fact bleeding from three parallel slashes that had cut through his shirt and were now staining it pink. "Oh yeah, should probably handle that. And maybe also figure out the gun." The adrenaline from their near-death experience had been enough to distract him from the pain, it seemed. He sat in a chair in what looked like a restaurant they were in. 

Kiyondo snorted and nodded. "Yeah, that would definitely help. I can't just keep covering your ass like this. Plus I can't just keep going all the time, I use energy too quickly and get tired." He sighed.

"I'm sorry! It's just that the gun was really confusing, I didn't know the green button was just to make shit move!" Hiro felt guilty that he had once again screwed up due to his own incompetence.

Shaking his head, Kiyondo rubbed at his eyes in apparent exhaustion. "It's fine, the gun does seem a little complicated. Fighting's what I've been doing to contribute to shit, after all. But I should probably switch back, since he knows how to actually treat wounds and could probably give a more detailed search to find you better medical supplies, so…" He put the taser to his head and Hiro wanted to yell in protest.

He didn't like watching Kiyondo fall over as he lost control and let Taka take the steering wheel back. And the fact that he had only switched because he knew it would help Hiro made his guilt worsen even more. "Hey, the mission got fucked and there's a bunch of Monokumas running around the city. Kiyondo covered me when we were escaping but I got cut up." Hopefully the info dump would be somewhat helpful and not overwhelming.

Taka rubbed his head and looked up, eyes wide in confusion as he looked around. "M... Monokumas? No…" He groaned. "C'mon, I thought we were done with that!" He groaned and after a moment he stood and looked around, grabbing the first aid kit. "I'm pretty sure I have bandages and antiseptic in here, just wait here while I go look for some paper towels to clean your wound, okay?" Taka went over to Hiro and looked at the cuts. 

Hiro began unbuttoning his shirt. "You probably want this off so you have better access, right?" 

"Yes please. And I also know how the hacking gun works, I was listening when Byakuya went over the controls." Taka gently took Hiro's hand and led it over the gun, showing him each function and explaining how to use it. After getting back his memories from before the killing game, Hiro had realized that Taka had tutored him a lot back when they were in school together. He had so much patience, even back then. It made Hiro feel less stupid, and it made him feel like a person rather than an annoyance. He was the only reason Hiro hadn't been failing at all during his time at Hope's Peak.

"Thanks, now I can actually defend myself." Hiro smiled at him. 

Taka nodded. "Good, do that while I find paper towels and water." He got up and wandered to the back of the restaurant, making Hiro worry a bit. What if there were Monokumas in the bathroom or something?

Luckily there weren't, since Taka returned in one piece with some damp paper towels in hand. "Phew, Ishimarucchi! You scared me for a sec there!" Hiro laughed nervously. 

Taka chuckled. "I was a little scared myself, but I guess we lucked out." He sighed and began gently cleaning Hiro's cuts. Despite that gentleness, Hiro still winced at the pain. "Sorry, don't want this to get infected."

"Yeah, I know, still hurts though. So uh…" Hiro shrugged his unattended shoulder. "What's the plan?" 

Taka paused, thinking for a minute. "Well...I suppose the best course of action would be to figure out a way to touch base with the Foundation, see if the others got out and contacted them. First things first we can turn on the TV, there might be something on the news that could give us an idea of what's going on…" He got up and ran over to the counter, snatching the remote after taking a minute to find it and turning on the television hanging on the wall. 

He then promptly dropped said remote when he saw the Warriors of Hope give their terrifying message, his ruby eyes widening in terror. “Wh...What is this? How could children be so disrespectful to their elders!” His horror quickly morphed into a disapproving scowl. “These brats should be taught a lesson!” He grumbled and cleaned Hiro’s wound with more force than before.

Hiro hissed in pain. “Hey...chill out, dude. It’s pretty shitty, but...you don’t know where they came from. Their parents might be awful, they could have done this because they don’t know any better. They are just kids, after all.” 

Hiro winced as he heard Taka’s weird little sound of disapproval that he had become all too familiar with in the past year. “To commit such horrible acts cannot be condoned by their age. And I’m not just saying that because I had good parents and don’t understand. Just because you’re in an awful situation does not mean you have to let it turn you into a monster.”

There was a lot to unpack in Taka’s words, and Hiro felt so tempted to just let the subject go and avoid confronting the shorter man’s strong convictions. Then again… “You’re really gonna say that you can choose how trauma affects you? So you’re telling me that you chose to develop an identity disorder?” Hiro shook his head. “Not that I’m saying you’re a monster for your disorder, that isn’t it at all, I just--”

Taka clenched both his jaw and fists. “Shut up. You know that isn’t what I meant.”

“Sure sounded like it.”

Taka glared at him. “So what are you saying we should do? Continue to let them carry out these deplorable acts?”

Hiro shook his head. “No, I just...was tryna say we shouldn’t be hurting kids. Maybe just show them they don’t have to live like this, y’know? That there are good adults. Like you ‘n me!” He grinned nervously. “Sometimes you just need one person to believe in you and support you, right?” He knew that had been the case for him, anyway. His mother had been the only thing keeping him alive during his middle school years, where he had been completely isolated and bullied for his poor academic performance. And then when he had gotten to Hope’s Peak...well, he had only started to remember it after the killing game, but Taka’s tutoring and enthusiastic work ethic had been a big help.

Taka seemed to ponder that for a moment. “You’re right. Mondo proved that to me, but still...this is awful. They need to be stopped.” He frowned over at Hiro and he couldn’t help but feel a little sad that the former hall monitor was once again focusing on Mondo and ignoring the friendship they had had. Once again, Hiro wasn’t good enough for someone. No surprise there. 

As Taka bandaged his arm, Hiro finally spoke up. “Maybe just focus on figuring out where everyone is at, yeah? Touch base with Togamicchi and Fukawacchi?”

“I don’t understand why you call Fukawa your friend, you hate her. But yes, that would be a good start.” 

Hiro swallowed hard and shrugged. “Cuz you guys are the closest I’ve ever had to friends. And if I pretend you guys are my friends by calling you that then...maybe you really will be. Fake it til you make it, y’know? Plus it’s an old habit from working in fortune telling and scams. If people get the idea that you’re their buddy, it makes it easier for them to trust you.”

Taka wrinkled his nose. “You almost had me until you got to the cheating people part.” He shook his head and stood. “Let’s go back to the apartment building and see if we can find anything.”

Hiro felt a bit guilty for disappointing Taka, but he was the former Ultimate Moral Compass, after all. It was pretty easy to disappoint someone who was able to work nonstop with absolutely no free time and had moral standards way higher than most people. “Yeah, sounds like a plan.” He gave a nervous smile. 

Hiro couldn’t believe this was happening. All of these deaths just kept on getting worse and worse! The creepy nerd guy wasn’t a big deal, he hadn’t really liked him all that much, but Taka...he was different. Watching everyone ignore the hall monitor’s grief was heartbreaking, especially for someone who knew what it was like to have no friends. He had tried to comfort the guy, but...then he had changed. Suddenly he had been Kiyondo, who acted like he didn’t even know him and only wanted to spend time with Alter Ego. 

After he had gotten out of the Robo Justice suit he had had to see for himself if Taka was really dead. He couldn’t be. Someone with so much life and energy couldn’t just die like that! He had to check for himself, even if he saw the body he had to make sure…

“Wait a sec…” He felt Taka’s pulse and...it was there! It was faint, but it was there! “You guys, I think he’s alive!”

“Don’t be stupid, he was bashed over the head with that heavy hammer, there’s no way.” Byakuya scowled at him. “You’re just trying to avoid what’s coming to you.”

Hiro shook his head. “I’m serious! I felt his pulse! He’s probably pretty close but if we can get him medical attention or whatever--”

“And how do you propose we do that? We can’t leave this place to take him to a hospital, and none of us have any medical knowledge.” 

Hiro sniffled, panicking. “You can’t just let him die! Please, Togamicchi, I’ll do anything, just help me!” 

Byakuya rolled his eyes. “He’s probably in a coma, he may as well be dead. The body discovery announcement was made, I’m sure that he’ll be joining Hifumi soon enough.”

“HOW CAN YOU FUCKING SAY THAT?!” Hiro yelled, and Byakuya jumped a bit in surprise. Hiro hadn’t really contributed or had much of a hand in anything that had happened so far, so for him to act out like this was strange. “He’s our classmate, right? And, and he’s a person too! I don’t care if you think he’s annoying and naive! Can’t we get Monokuma in on this, c’mon!” 

A Monokuma managed to pop out of nowhere, like usual. “Speak of the devil and he shall appear! What am I being summoned for?” 

“Ishimarucchi is alive, I felt his pulse! You can check yourself if you don’t believe me. Please help him, I’ll do anything you want, just don’t let someone like him die.” Hiro was sobbing now, panicked and upset. 

Monokuma seemed to hold his chin in thought. “Hmmm...on the one hand, he could still die and that would crush your hope...but on the other hand, having a survivor like that will really make the murderer despair! Could really spice things up!”

Byakuya shook his head. “Someone with a head injury like that isn’t going to be conscious on the same day, let alone possess the cognitive capacities to participate in a class trial.”

“You dare underestimate my power?” Monokuma growled, holding a clawed paw up. 

Byakuya scrunched up his face. “I don’t, I just understand medical science enough to know that what you’re saying is impossible.” 

Monokuma threw up his paws in rage. “Alright, that’s it! Step aside and let me show doubting Byakuya who’s boss! Out! All of you!”

“Wait, I can’t leave Ishimarucchi by himself…” Hiro whimpered.

“You want him fixed up?” Monokuma put up a clawed paw threateningly. 

Hiro swallowed hard and shook his head. “Of course I do.”

“Then lemme work my magic!” 

Byakuya looked about ready to eat his own socks when he saw a confused and frightened looking Taka walking into the room to get on the elevator for the class trial, albeit he had bandages wrapped around his head. “How...that blow should have caused severe brain damage!” 

Taka looked at him. “I...don’t remember enough to know what you’re talking about.” 

Hiro felt his heart sink. Did he have amnesia or something? “Well, what do you remember?”

Taka got onto the elevator with them before finally speaking. "I remember everything up to Kyoudai's execution, then I remember seeing Alter Ego. That's it. Anything in between is either really fuzzy or absolutely black." That wasn't amnesia. Then what the hell did this mean?

Toko looked up from her corner. "Has this happened before?" 

For some reason those words seemed to make recognition dawn in Taka's eyes. Hiro noticed how he flinched a bit before giving a forced "no." He shook his head. "It's probably from the brain injury. I'm sure I've sustained some damage." 

Byakuya nodded. "Of course, there's no way you couldn't. But then again...that does seem oddly specific. Especially since you said that you remember something in between that gap." He seemed to be analyzing Taka now, more invested than before. 

Before Taka could give an answer, the elevator doors opened and the class trial began. They all got into their positions while listening to Monokuma give his usual instructions about the trial. 

"First things first, I would like to ask our surviving victim a few questions." Byakuya said, almost too ready to start things off. 

Taka grit his teeth. "I told you, I don't remember anything after kyoudai was executed. My head injury is probably the ca--"

"No you're wrong!" Makoto yelled and Taka practically jumped a foot in the air, staring at the luckster with owlish red eyes. 

"Wh-wh-what do you mean? I have a head injury, that can cause gaps in memory, can it not?" 

"It certainly can." Makoto scowled at Taka. "But you're lying right now. You said you could remember meeting Alter Ego, right?" 

Taka winced, realizing he had been caught in his obvious lie. He had just mentioned that before the trial, after all. "I...yes. I did. But I didn't think that was particularly important." 

"Hey, maybe give the guy a break, he just got knocked on the head, y'know?" Hiro supplied, trying to take Taka's side even if he didn't really know how to help. 

"You're just saying that so you can get away with murder!" Aoi shouted at him, pointing. 

"Can we focus on what's important? Why is Ishimaru's memory significant to this trial? Even if it is weird, it's not gonna help this case, it's obvious Hagakure is the killer!" Toko shouted, fists clenched and teeth grit in frustration.

Makoto held his chin thoughtfully. "Because it could help us find his memories of the attempted murder. Ishimaru only met Alter Ego in the middle of the night, after coming to my room and asking to be shown him. Right, Ishimaru?" 

Taka winced. "Yes. How is this important to the case? You can't just magically make me remember something!" 

"On the contrary, I think I can see where Makoto is going with this." Byakuya looked at Makoto. "That was the same meeting that turned Ishimaru into Ishida or whatever he was, right?" 

Makoto nodded. "Exactly. Ishimaru, I'm not going to get angry or anything. This is for all our lives, please. Do you...do you have a condition like Toko's? Was Ishida an alter?" 

Taka shook his head. "No! It's never happened before, I swear! I just can't remember because of this injury! Kyoudai really did come back and merge his spirit with mine!" He had tears streaming down his cheeks and his voice was shaking.

"He's probably just making that up to cope with Oowada's death or something. Or he's just using it as a way to hide his disorder. Just cut the act and tell us the truth." Byakuya glared at Taka. 

Celeste chuckled. "I must admit, lies do not become you, but that is no surprise coming from you." 

There was a long moment where Taka stared down at the checkered floor in front of them, teeth grit and fists clenched. "Why should I tell you anything? Why do you need to know anything?" He looked up and glared at everyone. "What's the point in doing this? If we're all going to die? What's the point of living if it's only to suffer and get hurt? I didn't want to deal with reality, after everything I’ve been through, do you know how hard I've worked to get here?" His hands seemed to grip at the air in anger. "This isn't fair, I just...it's not fair!" 

Makoto gave him a sympathetic look. "Ishimaru, I--"

"SHUT UP! You don't know anything! I have spent years studying nonstop to achieve my dreams, sacrificed my childhood and social life, and then to have all of that taken away from me, it's, it's NOT FAIR! I only get an average of three hours sleep each night, I take amphetamines sometimes to stay awake, I work all the time and to only end up like this! Stuck in some crazy game of murder! And when I finally get one shred of happiness it's taken away from me! WHY SHOULD I KEEP ON LIVING IF EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE TAKEN FROM ME?! HUH?!?" 

Kyoko finally spoke up, her violet eyes staring intently at Taka. "That's right. Everyone dies. I bet you've had family members who died that you were close to, right?" 

Taka was obviously taken aback, his expressive nature shining through in how shocked he looked. "How did you know?" 

Kyoko narrowed her eyes. "Is that really important? What's important is that they left you here, to work and suffer in silence. Mondo and whoever else abandoned you and left you to fend for yourself in this cold and cruel world that's shown you no mercy, right?" 

Taka sobbed. "Why are you saying this? I know all of this already, I...please stop." 

Hiro winced. "Seriously, you're being really cruel Kirigiricchi." 

Kyoko ignored him, apparently onto something. "It would be easier if you just turned off for a while, wouldn't it? Easier to just take a break and let someone else take control for a while. Even if it's just for a little bit, here and there. When no one is around. When you're safe to not be the perfect student and child for once." 

Makoto nervously spoke up. "Kirigiri, I don't think pushing him and fishing for this is going to work--"

"Yeah, that's enough! Leave him alone!" Taka wasn't even talking anymore, that empty and vacant expression from before Ishida was back on his face. How could they be doing this to someone so innocent and determined? Taka deserved so much better than all of this! Maybe Hiro was projecting his own feelings of loneliness and isolation onto the hall monitor, but that didn't mean he was wrong in his desire to help Taka. Hiro yelled, his voice shaking as his eyes blurred with tears. "Are you seriously bullying a guy that almost got murdered? What the fuck is wrong with you?" 

"Yeah, seriously, what the fuck purple bitch?" Taka yelled at Kirigiri, and...his hair was white again. Like he was Ishida. What...what the hell? And he had just...said fuck? And bitch? In the same sentence? 

"I-Ishimarucchi?" Hiro looked at him, eyes wide in fear and worry. 

"No! Everybody keeps callin' me that and it's really startin' to piss me off!" Taka growled. "I'm Kiyondo Ishida, that's my fucking name and use it, assholes!" 

"Somebody learned how to properly swear…" Aoi mumbled more to herself than everyone else. 

Kyoko sighed. "I apologize for being so cruel to Ishimaru, but do you understand what I was doing? His traumatic event that led him to develop this disorder is death, people dying in his life and the stress of being alone and hurting. I felt that the only way to get him to allow Ishida control was by force. Ishida, can you tell us why you first appeared?" 

Ishida hummed. "I think it was when we were little, his mom, well...I guess our mom died because our family couldn't afford her medicine anymore. It wasn't fair, goddammit! We had to watch her die, all because of the debts my family owes from our grandfather’s failure! Fuckin' stupid!" The last part was shouted as Ishida put up his fists. "And then when kyoudai died…all I could do was act like him and talk to Alter Ego to have some kind of connection with him." He looked down, his usual energy fading a bit. "Taka’s always the one that gets all the memories with that person, while he saddles me with all the grief. How can I even grieve someone I never even got to meet? It's unfair, and the one chance I get to actually meet the person who died and some fuckin' creep acts like it's all his!"

"So...you're not Ishimarucchi?" Hiro mumbled, feeling afraid. "Does...does that mean you're a serial killer like Genocide Jack?" 

"What? Hell no. I'm not a murderer, I'm just fuckin' pissed and impulsive. I'm everything Taka wants to be but can't, cuz he's too scared to disappoint his family and shit!" Ishida grinned. "I finally know what the hell is up, and I know who I wanna be. I'm not gonna just be some trauma holder anymore, no fuckin' way! I'm gonna be everything Taka isn't but wishes he could be! I even have my own name now, and I came up with it all on my own!" 

Celeste sighed. "How is this all relevant to the trial again?"

Kyoko nodded. "I was just getting to that. Ishida, you were the one in control when you were attacked, right?"

"Yep." 

"Do you remember what happened?"

"Sure do! Fuckin' scary!" 

Kyoko smiled a bit. "Who was the one that attacked you?" 

Ishida laughed. "That's an easy one! It was the creepy nerd, Hifumi or whatever his name was." 

And that was what had decided the case. Once they had figured out Hifumi had been the one to attempt to murder Taka, it had all come together (or, at least it came together for the smart people in the class, Hiro was still a little confused but that wasn't abnormal). 

After the trial, Hiro had gone to Kiyondo during Celeste's execution. "So...is the reason you've been acting weird with me cuz...you don't really know me?" 

Kiyondo shrugged. "Nothin' personal, bitch. I don't share any memories with Taka, just knowledge and shit. And feelings. Some of 'em anyway." 

"Oh. So I guess Taka didn't like me?" 

"No, he really likes you. He's grateful you tried to help, even if you failed. I just don't really wanna acknowledge the feelings that are his. I wanna make my own decisions, y'know? You don't seem terrible so far, anyhow." He shook his head. "But Taka ain't around right now, right now I'm the one in control, so get to know me instead!" 

Hiro frowned a bit. "Yeah, but...aren't you the same? You're not you're own person or anything like that…" 

Kiyondo surprised him by actually physically punching him in the gut. "For the future, Taka learned martial arts when he was younger. So don't fuckin' say stupid shit or I will kick your balls so far up your ass you'll have to shit 'em out." He bared his teeth at the clairvoyant. "Even if Taka's a pain in the ass, we're a system, got it? We're both our own people, with our own personalities and emotions and shit. Just cuz he's the host doesn't mean I'm worth any less. And now that this is all happened I'm gonna make sure he lets me out more, cuz I'm done hiding from everybody goddammit!" 

The threat would have been hilarious if Hiro wasn't busy coughing and spluttering on the ground, staring up at a Kiyondo who looked ready to murder after explaining to him the truth.l "Okay. Message received, dude. You're your own person. I'm sorry for being dumb." He ran a nervous hand through his dreadlocks. 

Kiyondo sighed and seemed to soften a bit. "Don't call yourself dumb, you're not dumb. You're just different. You learn different from other people, and you have intelligence in certain things. Just respect me and I'll do the same for you. If anything I was hoping we could be friends." 

Hiro stared up at the albino with wide eyes. "Nobody's ever, no one has ever told me I'm not dumb before!" Hiro, despite his desire to not look like a child, started sniffling and wiping away the beginnings of tears. "'N I've never had a friend before."

"Well, now you got both. Merry fuckin' Christmas." Kiyondo grumbled and blushed a bit. He yelped when he felt Hiro hug him tightly in response, his fiery red eyes going wide. "Uh...thanks." He awkwardly pat Hiro's back.


	2. Chapter 2

Unfortunately their plan to regroup at the apartment building was an utter failure, since the place was still on fire and was mostly collapsed by now. 

"Why didn't you tell me it was on fire?" Taka glared back at Hiro.

Hiro chuckled nervously. "Right, heh...guess I kinda forgot you didn't know…" 

Taka sighed and held the bridge of his nose. "I understand it's hard to keep what happens with me and what happens with Kiyondo separate, but these kind of things require reminding, okay? Even if you're fairly certain me or Kiyondo were there for the event, please mention it just to be safe." 

"Yeah, I tried that for a while but then Kiyondo kicked me in the balls for lumping you two together." 

Taka gave him a concerned look. "Does he do that a lot?" 

Hiro made a "pff" sound and waved his hand dismissively. "Nah, not since I started wearing a cup." 

Taka groaned and rolled his eyes. "I told him, I left a note and I told him to stop doing that. Especially if he's...y'know what? Nevermind." 

"What?"

"Nothing! It's nothing. Just...do what you did before and I'll deal with Kiyondo, alright?" Taka heaved a long sigh and began walking down the street, pickaxe over his shoulder and marching along the sidewalk despite the lack of cars on the road. 

Hiro followed behind him. "So what's the plan?" 

Taka shrugged. "Find some living adults, maybe ask around and see if they've seen either Byakuya or Toko. And...if they've seen anybody else from that apartment building." 

Hiro frowned. "What do you mean? I know we were supposed to do, like, a rescue thing but Togamicchi never told me who we were rescuing." 

"Probably a good idea, you might've acted irrationally if you did know." Taka sighed. "They're the captives, from our first motive? The people closest to us. They've been in that building this whole time." He swallowed hard. "My dad should have been in there."

Hiro felt like his heart was about to leap out of his chest and go sprinting after his mother. She was...she was here. In this city. He hadn't seen her since he had gone into hiding from the Yakuza. She had been the closest person to him, sometimes he missed her so much it hurt...and now she was here. And possibly being mauled by a Monokuma. Then again, the woman was awfully resourceful and tough. "I'm sure he's out in the city somewhere, we'll find him and we'll find my mom, don't worry." He held Taka's shoulder. 

Taka looked up at him, his eyes wide with worry. After a few moments of staring at Hiro, that worry seemed to ease a bit. "You're right. He's a police officer, he's tough. And I never approved of it, but he does own a gun even though he's not supposed to." 

"Okay, were you ever gonna tell me your dad is a cop or was I just supposed to magically discover that myself?" Hiro scowled.

Taka chuckled. "I didn't think it was relevant." 

"It's relevant if he gets overprotective and shoots me!"

Hiro couldn't help but smile a bit as he saw Taka laugh, that little bit of light and passion from before the killing game showing in his eyes and smile. "He's not going to shoot you. Probably. Maybe if you're lucky and I can talk him down from doing it."

"Oh, that's so reassuring!" Hiro grinned and couldn't help but laugh with him. 

"Shh, we need to pay attention in case any Monokumas show up!" Taka gently swatted at Hiro's chest and Hiro couldn't help but blush a little. 

"Yeah, change the subject, that'll make me feel better!" Hiro smirked and ruffled Taka's hair. He realized how much easier it was to talk about their family members in the present tense and with certainty that they were alive. "My mom is gonna have a field day with you." 

Taka raised a brow. "Oh really? How so?"

Hiro grinned. "You're all nerdy and stuff, and she used to be a delinquent back before she had me. She's probably gonna tease you to hell and back." He snorted. 

"She's not a delinquent anymore is she?" Taka looked up at him with worried eyes. 

Hiro felt a little on edge now. His home life had never been...great. His mom was amazing, but...she had had to work a lot, and his dad was a deadbeat. "No, she really had to get her shit together when she got knocked up. She was only like, fourteen when she had me. She's a nurse now." 

"That's really quite admirable of her. And...your father?" 

Hiro grit his teeth. "When I was a kid he fell asleep with a lit cigarette and burned the house down. And something happened with him and my mom and he divorced her and never looked back. I think that speaks for itself, yeah?" 

Taka frowned. "That's awful. How could a parent be so negligent and then abandon their child like that?" He shook his head. "My father works a lot, but he was always there for me. And my mom…" He swallowed hard. "I don't really remember a lot, she died when I was pretty young, but she was always very kind and loving." 

Hiro put an arm around him. "I'm sure she's proud of you, wherever she is now." He smiled down at Taka. "Isn't it wild that we've been working together for like, a year now and we've never talked about this shit? Never talked about it when we were in school, either." 

Taka sniffled a bit. Hiro had learned that most of Taka's crying had been due to stress and the pressure of school, so the crying had lessened a lot. But it was still there somewhat. "Thank you. And...it certainly is unfortunate we've never had this sort of conversation in the past year, however…" He shrugged. "I don't remember anything from before the killing game at Hope's Peak." 

Hiro frowned. "But Ryota made that video thing to help get our memories back, I thought you did it." 

Taka shook his head. "I couldn't do it, I couldn't...let the happy memories I had with Kyoudai be tainted with grief. So...I let Kiyondo take them. In a way, it was a sort of gift to him, since he's never been able to actually meet Kyoudai." 

Well that...actually made a lot of sense. "Wow...uh, okay. Well, um, we were actually pretty good friends in school. You tutored me all through our first year, and a little bit even after the school closed. You helped me a lot." Hiro looked down, shrugging. 

"I'm...happy to hear that I was able to assist someone in the joys of learning. Especially since you seem to have struggled with that a lot. Not that it's obvious or that I'm insulting you! You just...seem to learn differently than most people. Which is okay. I'm sorry if it feels like I've been pushing you away, then."

Hiro shook his head and looked up. "No, I totally get it. You need time to grieve."

Taka sighed. "I did, but...I think I need to start moving on now. I think that Kyoudai would have wanted me to live my life instead of mourning what could have been. And the same goes for my mother, and my grandfather." 

"I thought you hated your grandfather?" 

Taka shook his head. "I...I was disappointed in him, yes. But he was my grandfather, he was a part of my life growing up. He helped name me, getting to visit his job when I was a child is the entire reason I wanted to go into politics. Even if he did something awful, and destroyed our family...I still have a lot of good memories with him." He nodded. "It took me a long time to be able to admit that to myself, but I just wish I had been able to realize that before he'd died." 

Hiro shook his head. "C'mon, you just said to not mourn what coulda been Ishimarucchi!" He smiled. "Y'know, this city is all to ourselves, and our mission's all fucked...we should have a lil fun." 

Taka raised a brow. "If it's illegal I'm not doing it." 

Hiro pouted. "You always say that! I just meant we could find a restaurant or something and make ourselves something fancy! There's a hotel not far from here, we could go there for dinner and then be on our way! Pleeeeaaaase!" He clasped his hands together pleadingly.

Taka groaned. "Hiro…"

"Takaaa!" Hiro whined. 

Taka rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine. We'll spend one hour once we've prepared dinner, and then afterwards we leave some money in a reception desk at the hotel as payment and then we continue with our mission!" He scowled. 

Hiro grinned. "Yayy! I'm gonna do the cooking, okay? You just sit back and relax!" He smiled. "Seriously though, we remember what happened the last time I let you cook." 

"That fire wasn't my fault, the tayaki's cooking instructions were misleading!" Taka grumbled through an embarrassed blush. 

"Babe, what part of 'turn the cakes halfway through' was misleading?" He snorted and it was only after speaking that he realized he'd said babe. "Uhh…"

Taka blushed bright red. "Wh-I-you-" He stuttered and then finally began marching aggressively ahead of Hiro. "LET'S GET TO THAT FREAKING HOTEL!" 

Hiro couldn't help but smile a little bit as he followed after the shorter man. The guy was definitely flustered, since he was nervously yelling and he had even cursed (or, at least, what Taka's version of cursing was).

After being taken in by Future Foundation, Hiro had felt like their lives were changing dramatically. Well, they had definitely changed a lot before then, but now the entire world was different and he was surrounded by so many new people. The confusing part was that some people had known him even though he had never met them before. 

Like the tired looking guy they had first met after the killing game. He had smiled at Hiro and waved. "Hey, you're that first year who really liked video games, right?" 

Hiro had only been able to supply the small skeleton of a man with a blank stare. "Yeah, I like video games." 

The guy seemed confused. "You...don't remember me? I was in the class just above yours, we met at a couple of the anime and manga club's meetings. Ryota Mitarai?" He gave a nervous smile. 

Hiro blinked. "Oh, shit, uh. So Junko erased our memories I guess? Anyway, I don't remember anything from Hope's Peak other than the killing game." He shrugged. "Sorry dude." 

Ryota wilted. "Oh yeah, that's what they said." He sighed. "I'm sorry, you just...you managed to notice I was there when nobody else did. Even if I didn't really want to be noticed cuz of stuff that was going on, it was...nice." He looked up and held out his hand. "I'm Ryota Mitarai, I used to be the Ultimate Animator." 

Hiro took his hand and grinned. "Dude, seriously? That's like, the coolest talent ever! Have you ever helped to animate a video game? Would you ever do that?" 

Ryota smiled a bit. "You asked me the same thing when we met before. And no, I haven't." He swallowed hard. "Most of my work has been used as a tool in the destruction of civilization. And now, apparently, in making your class forget the past two years." He sighed, and Hiro couldn't help but think he looked sad. 

He wanted to comfort the smaller man when he was forcefully grabbed and dragged down the hallway. 

"Playtime's over, palm tree! It's grub time, I'm fuckin' hungry!" Kiyondo yelled, resisting Hiro's struggling. 

"Dude, I was having a conversation!"

"Yeah, while I was starving to death!" Kiyondo growled at him and dragged him to the kitchens at Future Foundation headquarters. 

Hiro sighed. "That's only cuz Taka keeps refusing to eat anything!" 

Kiyondo yanked open the large refrigerator and began getting out the ingredients for curry. "Yeah, and so I gotta keep us alive by stuffing my face whenever I get to front!" 

"Will you quiet down? It's really not necessary for you to shout while you're cooking…" Hiro grumbled. 

Kiyondo grabbed a knife and cutting board and started chopping vegetables. "Yeah, fine. I'll quiet down. It just pisses me off how he's being all self-destructive, y'know? After everything he's worked for. Even if the world's fucked, giving up now would be dumb." He looked over at Hiro. "Can you make the sauce and chicken?" 

"Wh-uh, yeah, I guess...I'm not great at it but I can give it a shot."

"I don't even care dude, I would literally start gnawing on your arm if there wasn't a fridge full of food behind me." Kiyondo turned around and opened the refrigerator, then he ran over to the pantry and began fishing around. "Bingo! Fuck yeah!" He stepped out with rice, a few spices and a family-sized bag of chips. 

"Did you seriously drag me here to get me to help you cook? Which, is really weird cuz Taka is like, supernaturally bad at cooking. Pretty sure he's cursed."

Kiyondo paused and scowled at him. "He's not cursed, and we have different skills and shit. He can't sing for shit while I can, I can't do math to save my fucking life and he's, well fuckin' duh. I can cook pretty damn well. And...I just wanted a friend to hang out with. All this change is making me feel weird, and the fuckin' asshats made me a research student cuz they think my disorder is 'a liability'" He made agressive quotation marks and practically snarled those words out. 

Hiro sighed and began working on the sauce. "I'm sorry man, that sucks. You and Taka deserve to be full members more than I do. You're both way smarter than me." 

He felt Kiyondo lightly elbow him. "Hey, what the hell did I say about talking down on yourself? Fucking stop it or I'll kick you in the nuts again." 

"Please don't." 

"Then don't talk shit about yourself, it's that easy." He looked back and Kiyondo was smiling a bit. 

Hiro pouted. "I'm not gonna be able to have children if you keep that shit up man." 

Kiyondo laughed, and Hiro realized how different his laugh sounded from Taka's. It was more unrestrained, and grating, and loud. Very loud. "Who wants children? Fuckin' demons if you ask me." 

Hiro snorted and rolled his eyes, swearing to himself he was going to start wearing a cup to deter the albino from kicking him there again. "So how's fronting more often going? Did you guys work out like a...schedule or something?" 

"Nah, not yet. Fuckin' Goodie Mcfuckface won't let me front half the time. He thinks I'm a liability too." Kiyondo sighed. "Even if I am a lil violent and loud, I'm not...I'm not a monster, y'know?" It was strange to hear his normally harsh and grating voice sound so soft. 

Hiro shrugged. "I can see why people are weirded out by you guys. Most people only see that kinda illness in a murder mystery or some shit, so they probably assume that you're both unhinged and dangerous. But while I do fear for the safety of my scrotum, I trust you." 

He heard Kiyondo chuckle a bit. "Thanks, that means a lot to me. It's just frustrating that my first taste of freedom is ruined by all these chucklefucks. But at least I got you and Jack." 

Hiro had to put down the cooking spoon he was using for the sauce. "Jack who now?" 

"Genocide Jack? She's pretty cool, once you get past the serial killer part. She's really fun to talk to boys about, and she makes the best dirty jokes." Kiyondo chuckled. 

Hiro gulped. "Kiyondo…"

"I know! I know it sounds bad, but it's nice to talk to someone who's in a system and isn't a host! She gets what it's like to get pushed aside and ignored in her fuckin' head."

"Yeah but…" Hiro sighed. "I just feel like she's a bad person to talk to about this." 

"Got any better ideas?" 

Hiro slumped. "No...just don't get any weird ideas from her, okay?" 

Kiyondo snorted. "I'm not that stupid. I'm not gonna start cutting people up just cuz I'm horny for 'em. You're safe." 

What the fuck did that mean? You're safe? Hiro couldn't help but blush a bit. "Uh, so are you just into guys like Taka is or…" 

"Dunno, I just kinda...am into whatever. Me and Jack don't just talk about boys, we talk about girls sometimes too." 

Hiro nodded. "Huh, interesting. It's weird finding out how different you and Taka are." 

"What about you?" 

Hiro turned around to look at Kiyondo. "Huh?" 

Kiyondo shrugged and looked at him. "What're you 'into'?" He made air quotes. 

Hiro shrugged. "Same as you, I'm pan. I don't really care what's going on in someone's pants."

Kiyondo nodded. "Good to know." Why is that good to know? What was he planning?!?

Whatever it was, he just hoped it wasn't happening too fast. He wasn't ready for any more big changes like that. It was safer to just let the matter drop and continue helping his friend cook. But then again… "How are you feeling?"

There was a long pause. "Whattaya mean?"

Hiro shrugged and looked at him. "About the people that have died, about the world, about Future Foundation. I know Taka is kinda freaking out and you probably have to feel like you're the strong one, right? Cuz, like, you're the strong identity or whatever? Just thought I'd check in and see how you're feeling." After seeing someone as strong as Sakura lose to her emotions and issues, Hiro knew that sometimes a front of strength didn’t make a person invulnerable.

Kiyondo stiffened. "I dunno. I don't...I don't know how to feel, okay? I've never...had this much freedom before. I'm scared, but I'm really excited too. And I'm fucking pissed at Taka for starving himself and making me deal with it! It's not like he's the only one grieving! It's not like I don't understand what we've had to go through! It's not…" Hiro couldn't help but gently take Kiyondo's shaking shoulder as he realized the smaller man was crying. 

He pulled Kiyondo into a hug. "Hey, it's okay, you can let it out. It's normal and human to be sad or angry or scared, okay? How about you go hang out in the lounge, wrap yourself up in a blanket and I'll bring you some food. You can turn on the TV in there and watch whatever you want." He rubbed the smaller man's back. 

At first Kiyondo seemed to ignore him, electing to continue sobbing and clinging to him tightly. “It’s not fair...everybody wishes I didn’t exist, cuz I’m just a thing Taka made up in his head to deal with all the shit he’s gone through…” He looked up at Hiro. “You prolly wish I didn’t exist too, even if you’re nice to me.”

Hiro felt taken aback. “That’s not true, I don’t wish that. Sure, finding out about you was a big surprise, and I was kinda freaked out at first, but that’s only cuz I’ve never encountered someone like you before.” He shrugged. “Getting to know you has actually been kinda fun. I like Taka, sure, but you’re way more fun and energetic. Being friends with you guys is like having the best of both worlds, y’know? You balance each other out. I think you’re both pretty neat.” He smiled a bit. 

Kiyondo violently shook his head. “You’re just saying that to make me feel better. Taka’s a huge nerd and I’m a fucking naive wack job. I’m not even real…”

“Hey, you are real, alright?” Hiro scowled and shook the smaller man a bit. “Just because you weren’t born like most people were doesn’t make you any less of a person. You have your own personality, feelings, opinions, all that shit. And you’re talking to the biggest coward and dumbass in all of Japan, maybe in the whole world now that the human population’s been decimated.” Hiro tried to give a lopsided grin to comfort Kiyondo. 

Kiyondo gave him a half-hearted push and scowled up at him. “What’d I say about shit-talking yourself, huh?” He sniffled and wiped his eyes, smiling a bit. 

Hiro couldn’t help but sniffle a little himself, since Kiyondo’s excessive tears were making him tear up a bit. “Please don’t kick me in the balls.”

Kiyondo snorted. “I make no promises, palm tree.” He smirked and began returning to making the curry. 

He was quickly stopped by Hiro grabbing at him. “Hey, I said to go relax!” He pouted at the albino.

“Fuck off and let me help cook, I’m fine now!” Kiyondo hissed and fought him.

Hiro grunted. “Stop...I’m not strong enough to fight you dude…”

“‘S not my fault you’re a fuckin’ spaghetti noodle of a man!” 

Hiro grabbed the cutting board of vegetables Kiyondo had been cutting and held it over his head. Kiyondo growled and began jumping to try and grab it. “Fuck you for being tall!” 

Hiro smirked. “Not my fault you’re short!”

“‘M not short! I'm average height!” Kiyondo whined and waved his arms uselessly at the cutting board. He sighed and finally dropped his arms. “Fine, I’ll go hang out in the lounge...jackass…”

Hiro smirked, thinking he had won. But apparently fate wasn’t on his side, because he managed to move just the right way so that the knife on the cutting board would roll off and fall to the ground. Not the ground, exactly. More like his foot that was completely exposed since he only wore flip flops. And the thing landed with enough speed and at the perfect angle that it managed to stab into his foot, quite deeply. He could only make a weak groaning noise and wince. 

“Holy shit, are you okay?” Kiyondo went wide-eyed. 

“No...this really hurts.” Hiro croaked.

Kiyondo grit his teeth and flapped his hands in panic. “Uhh, okay. Should I get a medic or something?”

“Yeah…” He felt his eyes water at the pain. 

“Fuck, okay, just...just wait here and I’ll go get a medic!” Kiyondo shouted nervously and sprinted out of the kitchen. 

While it was weird that that memory came to him while he was making dinner for himself and Taka, Hiro found himself smiling at it nonetheless. Hanging out with Taka and Kiyondo had made the first few weeks of being in Future Foundation bearable, if he was honest. And while that curry-making session had ended in multiple stitches and a ruined pair of flip-flops, he still felt like it was a happier memory. 

He looked up as he heard Taka entering the kitchen. “Hey, the food should be ready soon.” He smiled at Taka.

“Who do you like more, me or Kiyondo?” Taka frowned at him.

Wow. Okay. Just dropping a bomb like that. “I like you both, why do you ask? Is something wrong?”

Taka looked down and shrugged. “I don’t know, it’s just been weighing on me lately. Kiyondo is more energetic and fun, so...I sometimes feel afraid that you like him more than me.”

Hiro shook his head. “Not true. You can be fun sometimes, just in different ways. And somebody’s gotta keep me from doing stupid shit, right?” He tried to smile reassuringly. 

Taka would have answered him had they not heard noises in the lobby of the hotel. “Monokumas?” He went pale. 

Hiro shook his head. “Nah, they would have been making a lot more noise. Could be survivors. Or more kids.” He gulped and pulled out his hacking gun. “Stay in here while I investigate, alright?” His voice shook a little, god he hated having to be brave. But making Taka switch and letting Kiyondo front too much would end with Taka having a nasty headache, so it was better to be more independent if he could.

Taka scowled. “I really don’t want to cower in the kitchen like this…”

Hiro ignored him and quietly left the kitchen, then ruined his stealth as he tripped and face-planted over a tipped-over chair in the darkness of the lobby. He grunted. “Fuck…”

“Hello? Are you an adult? Sh-show yourself!” A girl’s voice called out in the dark, and he heard the low hum of a hacking gun turning on. 

As he was struggling to get up he felt the presence of someone standing over him. “Oh, it’s just you. Put your gun away, Omaru, it’s just an idiot with a crystal ball.” Toko walked away from Hiro and Hiro couldn’t help but glare at her. 

“Always a pleasure to talk to you, you stalker bitch.” Hiro mumbled.

“What did you say?!” Toko growled at him.

Hiro shrugged. “I said anxiety like this always gives me a bad itch.” He scratched at the back of his neck. 

Toko growled at him and bared her teeth, stepping towards him. Luckily she was stopped by the younger girl throwing her arms in front of her. “Guys, c’mon! There’s no need to fight! If he’s from Future Foundation I’m sure he can help, right Toko?”

Toko glared at Hiro and sneered. “He’s an idiot, he won’t be of any help to anyone.” 

“Oh, and you’re always such a big help, whining and complaining and criticizing everyone.” Hiro scowled. 

“Guys! Seriously! Let’s just put our differences aside and work together to keep watch of each other for the night! This is a good place to stop and rest.” The younger girl sighed and put out her hand to Hiro. “I’m Komaru Naegi.” 

Hiro took her hand and shook it. “Yasuhiro Hagakure. You can call me Hiro. I went to school with your older brother, you look just like him.” He smiled a bit. 

Komaru’s eyes lit up. “You knew my brother? Do you know what happened to him, if he’s alive?”

Hiro couldn’t help but look at Toko. “Yeah, me and Toko work with him for Future Foundation. Surprised she didn’t tell you.” 

Toko looked down, scowling at the floor. Komaru blinked and shrugged. “I’m sure Toko had a good reason, whatever it was.” She smiled and sniffed the air. “Were you making something? It smells good.”

“Yeah, we were making dinner, wanna join?” 

Komaru grinned and nodded. “Yes please! I’m super hungry and it’s been such a long day, I’m pooped!” 

Hiro smiled and looked behind him when he heard Taka leave the kitchen. “Guess who I found? Toko and Naegicchi’s lil sister!” 

Taka raised a brow. “I can see the resemblance. Nice to meet you, I’m Kiyotaka Ishimaru.” 

“You can call me Komaru.” Komaru smiled. “I like your coat, it looks like a bosozoku coat.” She gasped. “Were you a bosozoku? My brother said that there was gonna be one in his class…”

Taka’s eyes seemed to lose some light. “No, he was a...close friend of mine. I was the Ultimate Moral Compass.” 

Komaru gasped. “Wow, so you guys were like total opposites? That sounds so sweet, like straight from a romance manga or something! Not that I’m saying you guys were, y’know, but--”

“No, we were. It’s fine.”

“Oh no totally! I’m not a bigot or anything, I mean I’m probably only into girls myself so I have no room to judge! But it sounds really sweet, what you guys had.”

Taka swallowed hard. “Yes, he was my first real friend, and...I loved him a lot. But...he did something awful and ended up paying for it with his life.”

Komaru’s eyes became misty. “I’m so sorry…”

Taka shook his head. “No, it’s fine. Sometimes...sometimes people die. It’s a natural part of life.” 

Komaru sniffled and nodded. “Yeah, I guess.” She clapped her hands together. “Can I help with dinner at all? I’m starving!” 

Hiro would have answered had they not heard a crash of the hotel windows and doors breaking as a bunch of Monokumas broke in. “Shit!” He fumbled for his gun, his adrenaline kicking up as a Monokuma came running toward him. He dropped the gun out of nervousness, then swore to himself and tried to grab it. He was going to get mauled by a Monokuma, he was going to die after surviving through so much bullshit--

He was showered in a hail of Monokuma parts and he shielded himself, eyes wide. In front of him, Kiyondo had his pickaxe in his hands. “Get to front twice in one day, hell yeah!” He cackled. 

Hiro gulped and managed to grab his gun, doing his best to take out at least a few Monokumas. He felt a little guilty that Taka had felt forced to defend him, but he was grateful that Kiyondo was once again saving his life. He noticed that Genocide Jack was fronting as well. 

“Reunited, at long last!” She sang, grinning at Kiyondo.

“Fuck yeah!” Kiyondo threw down his pickaxe. 

Hiro sighed. “I’m gonna check on dinner…” At least he could contribute and be useful with that.

“Can I come with?” Komaru went over to him, re-holstering her hacking gun.

“Uh, sure.” Hiro raised a brow, deciding not to question her request as he turned to leave for the kitchen. 

Just as he thought, Komaru seemed to want to talk to him about something as soon as they were out of earshot of the other two. “So...they’re both like that?”

“Like what?”

“They have...uh...the other personality or whatever?” Komaru bit her lip.

“Yeah, basically. Just think of it as more than one person living in one brain. They’re different people, and if you don’t acknowledge that it really hurts their feelings, especially if they aren’t the host.” Hiro shrugged and checked on the beef stew he’d been making, stirring it a bit. 

“Host?”

“Yeah, like, the original person or whatever. Fukawacchi and Taka are the hosts, while Jack and Kiyondo are the alters that are a part of their systems.”

Komaru nodded. “Wow...that’s kinda neat. What’s it like to date someone like that? Is it hard?” She tilted her head.

Hiro felt his face go bright red. “W-what gave you the impression that me and Taka are dating?!”

Komaru’s eyes widened. “W-- it’s kinda obvious the way you guys interact! The way he just jumped in to save you like that, and how you look at each other! How was I supposed to NOT think you guys were a thing?!” She shook her head. “Just...how do you date somebody like that?”

Ah, the pieces were clicking together now. “Why do you ask?” He smirked. “Do you seriously have a crush on that gremlin?”

Komaru blushed and squeaked. “Wh-I-what would make you think that?!”

Hiro grinned. “Wow, imagine how Naegicchi’s gonna react when he finds out Fukawacchi wooed his baby sister.”

“THAT’S NOT--YOU STOP THAT!” Komaru screeched, waving her arms. “And I’m not his baby sister! I’m only a year younger than him! Can you just, just tell me?!”

Hiro had to remember how to breathe as he lost his shit laughing over the beef stew. “I dunno, dude. Just make sure you treat them both like people, don’t act like they’re a freak or that the different identity thing is bad. Yeah, Fukawacchi is a gremlin bitch, but both her and Taka are trying to function and work with their disorders. And the fact that you’re already really nice to someone like her is a damn good start.” He sighed and began getting the rice ready to cook. 

Komaru pouted. “Don’t be mean to Toko!”

Hiro rolled his eyes and sighed. He noticed Kiyondo walking into the kitchen. “You guys talkin’ about me?” He smirked. 

Hiro sighed. “Lil bit.” He smiled a bit. “Thanks for saving my life, again.”

Kiyondo smiled. “My pleasure.” He winked. Komaru scowled at Hiro and motioned her hand as if to say ‘you see what I’m talking about?’

“Komaru, you can cook rice, right? Cook the rice.” Hiro scowled at her.

Jack peeked her head in. “You guys are leaving me out on all the fun?” She pouted at them. 

Komaru smiled back at her as she stirred the rice. “No way! We were just talking a lil bit is all!”

Jack strolled in, spinning a pair of scissors on her finger. Oh, great, the serial killer was loose. This wasn’t going to end well, Hiro didn’t need any fortune telling to see that much. “Is there any booze here? We should have some fun.”

Maybe it was good thing Kiyondo was fronting right now, since the very idea of underage drinking would have made Taka go completely bananas. "Don't see why not, it's a hotel right? People prolly request that shit for room service all the time." Kiyondo whistled and strolled into the pantry to investigate. 

Hiro sighed. "Dude, you sure you wanna do that? I mean, Taka's probably already gonna have a nasty headache when you switch again, so if you drink enough to get hungover…" That could seriously impede their efforts of escape. 

"It'll be fine! I'll just have, like, one bottle of sake. Maybe two." Kiyondo called from the pantry. "They also got vodka and beer in here too!" 

Jack giggled. "Oo, make a cocktail with the vodka if we have any juice."

Hiro could only groan in premature regret with how this evening was going to go. 

By midnight, Komaru was snoring quietly after half a bottle of sake on a couch in the hotel lobby while Kiyondo and Jack danced and sang along to random pop music they had managed to find CDs of somewhere in the hotel. How they got ahold of it, Hiro really didn't want to know. He just knew Taka was gonna be pissed and stuck with a splitting headache in the morning since Kiyondo was most certainly shitfaced at this point. 

Hiro could only grunt in surprise as the white-haired man plopped onto his lap and then awkwardly maneuvered himself around to face Hiro. Once he finally got to that point he lazily put his arms around Hiro's shoulders. "Can't believe you're bein' the responsible one right now." He burped. "I 'member you fed Taka a pot brownie 'en you guys were in school." He smirked and leaned towards Hiro. 

Hiro blushed. "Only cuz he was on the verge of a fucking panic attack! I was trying to calm him down, I didn't really know what else to do!" He sighed. "'S not like anything happened. He just laid on my dorm room floor and ranted about communism and the weird crack on the ceiling. Then he ate like four pudding cups with a bag of Cheetos and then took a nap in my room." 

Kiyondo hummed and nodded. "Yeah, I was just teasin'. I 'member that." He snorted. "Glad I'm not the only person that has to fucking hear his spiel about democratic socialism or whatever the fuck that snoozefest is. I remember he was really comfortable and felt safe with you. Wasn't even mad about the pot. I think...he just wanted someone to give a shit, y'know? I mean, I feel the same way honestly but…" He smiled and leaned his head on Hiro's shoulder. "You always make me feel wanted and real. Like someone cares about me. Not just Taka, but me. Kiyondo." 

Hiro nodded. "I care about you guys. You're probably my best friends." 

"Honestly, I...I think if Taka had never been in a relationship with Mondo he could have fallen for you. Hell, I know I did. I mean, I still miss Kyoudai but...can't dwell on the past." Hiro felt his face heat up as he felt Kiyondo sloppily kiss his neck. 

"Kiyondo…" 

"Hiro." Kiyondo, instead of saying his name the way Hiro had said his, seemed to mumble it just for sake of saying it. Like...he was just treasuring the very concept of Hiro. "C'mon, you know we've gotten close, and we both like dudes, and we're into each other. I'm tired of grieving and I'm tired of waiting for Taka to move on." He pulled back and looked at Hiro. "Please?" 

Hiro looked away. "We can't just...not without talking to Taka about it." 

"Why?"

Hiro frowned. "You know why, you know me and him have been...I dunno." He scrubbed his face.

Kiyondo swallowed hard and looked down. "Yeah. Can't we just...just tonight? I don't even need to do anything too big, just...just wanna cuddle and maybe make out a lil? Just a lil please?" He kissed Hiro's jaw. "I won't tell on you if you don't tell on me. And once he's ready to move on I'm more than willing to share you." 

Hiro swallowed hard and blushed. "I...we can cross that bridge when we get to it. Just...maybe don't leave marks?" He grunted as he felt Kiyondo biting his neck. "No marks." 

Kiyondo whined. "Hiro, baby, how else am I supposed to let everyone know you're all mine?" 

Hiro blushed and scowled. "That's the idea, we can't tell Taka about this yet." 

Kiyondo pouted. "You're no fun. You better be good at French kissing." He leaned forward before Hiro could even question him and smashed his lips against Hiro's. 

“Wha’ the heck happened to not datin’, HMM?” Komaru yelled, pointing at them from the couch she had been resting on. Apparently she had managed to regain consciousness. “Freakin’ liar…”

Hiro pulled his lips away from Kiyondo, who growled at him. “I wasn’t lying, we aren’t technically dating yet! I mean, we probably will, but not right now!”

“Liar liar, pants on fire!” Komaru sang in a slurred tone. “Yasu-liar-o Hagaku-lie-re.” 

Hiro frowned. “That’s...not even clever at all. And it makes no sense.” He sighed and looked down at Kiyondo, who had nuzzled into his neck while he’d been bickering with the younger girl and was now snoring softly. He sighed and rubbed his back. “It’s complicated, alright? They’re both still grieving about the shit that happened last year. I’m giving them space.”

Komaru narrowed her eyes. “‘S bullshit, you stink like bullshit. Stinky dreadlock man, stinky poopy liar man.”

Hiro scowled at her. “Just go to sleep you little shit.” 

“‘M not a shit, you’re a shit.” 

Hiro closed his eyes and pretended to snore loudly, ending the conversation. It wasn’t even entirely a lie, he was starting to get sleepy, and the fact that Kiyondo was cuddled up to him felt nice.


End file.
